I, Sesshoumaru
by Inutori
Summary: He looked down at the still form of the small girl in his arms that he had fallen in love with. No. Not girl. The woman he had fallen in love with. Unbidden, the tears fell.


I, Sesshoumaru  
Lord of the West  
Son of an Inu Taishou  
Cold-Hearted Killer

The soft rhythm of an eagle flying high overhead brought the young lord's head up. Winter had just past and life was returning to the once frozen valley. Peaceful birds sang their joyful tunes from trees where they built the nests for their future young.

Each time he saw this new world springing up from the cold heart of winter, he felt all the more alone. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

He was Lord of the Western Lands and the most powerful inu youkai to be found. Emotion was pointless and unnecessary in this world where only the strongest survived. And females were just the embodiment of stupidity. There was really no point in them except to make more brats that the world would have to deal with. That really did not sound appealing to him.

He took in a deep breath and looked around once more, silently locating the river he knew was nearby. The ice covering the water was probably broken up by now, and he knew that the smell of the cold water would sooth his mind.

Gracefully putting one foot ahead of the other, he walked proudly in the direction of the sound of the running water. His soft silver tresses cascaded down his back and billowed in the morning breeze coupled with his forward momentum. Piercing gold eyes bore down at the earth from his regal posture, giving him a look of absolute dominance. No living creature would dare challenge his authority.

"Spring is the perfect season of all. When life is returning with a loud call." A song cut through the morning air, ringing in the youkai's ears for a few moments before carrying on in its path. "Flowers blooming all around. How rain loves to hear the sound. Birds singing in the trees. Sweet honey made by the bees."

He couldn't quite determine where the voice was coming from, but he didn't care that much.

"Yes spring couldn't be any better. Better than the way it is now. And spring is the season for love. The season that brings us together."

Unknowingly the young lord found himself following the voice. It became louder the closer he got, but the beauty didn't diminish. He hadn't exactly changed directions, so it wasn't like locating the source of the song was out of his way or anything.

After passing through the brush that lined the bank of the river, he let his gaze wander up and down the flow to find other sentient life.

Only a moment passed before his eyes fell on a young girl wearing only her white under kimono splashing cheerfully in the cold water. Ice chunks flowed by her, signifying that it wasn't a very pleasant temperature to take a bath at.

She sniffed the air and turned towards the inu youkai with wide eyes. The Lord of the Western Lands mentally cursed himself for not realizing that he was downwind of her.

A cry escaped her lips and she dipped down into the water until only her eyes and the top of her head were popping out. The sight before him almost made him laugh, but that wasn't the kind of demon he was: he never showed an ounce of emotion to anyone.

Bright blue eyes stared him down and black hair was pulled with the current away from him. Not a word passed between them as the girl stayed underwater and the lord continued to stare. Time had stopped for the two, even though everything around them continued on living.

Finally, anger covered her face and the girl stood up with her arms folded across her chest. "What do you think you're doing?" She seemed confident with herself, although she appeared no more than fifteen years old.

"What does it matter?" He answered her hysterical question callously and deliberately, like he always did for everything.

"Hentai!" The girl scrambled up onto the opposing bank from him and slipped on an outer kimono and some loose fitting pants. Although wet, her hair was straight and long: it came down and swept past her knees flawlessly. "Who are you, anyway?" She turned and looked back at him over the river, her eyes observing him without shame.

"I am Sesshoumaru." He wasn't sure why he had answered her so easily, but the words just spilled from his mouth before they could be stopped.

"Lord of these lands." She seemed to nod in recognition, her eyes scanning over him carefully. "Sesshoumaru-sama, Rayne is honored to meet you." A little bow to him and she was off, picking up a few more things from the ground and gone without a second glance.

Sesshoumaru just stared after the place she had once stood only thirty feet away. She was so young and naïve. He wondered if she would last very long in this cruel world.

The demon noble growled at himself for his ongoing thoughts regarding her and turned to his left, walking with the current of the river beside him. Forest patches thickened as he continued walking, the trees closing in and choking out the river and diminishing its glory with their height.

Streaks of light boldly blazed through the blanket of leaves overhead, but for the most part he was shaded from the sun. There were no birds chirping and no squirrels twittering. This forest was free of animate life. All that remained here were the aging trees and their loyal companion known as the river.

The sun beat mercilessly down on him when he emerged from the forest, and he halfway closed his eyes without slowing. A village was nearby. That village was the reason he was here.

In that human village was the annoying mortal's son; the human woman that had tainted his father and given the inu lords a disgraceful hanyou relative. Sesshoumaru's younger half-brother must have been around seven or eight by this point, and the Lord felt it was his duty to purge the world of the disgraceful half ling.

He took in a deep breath, testing for the foul stench that the mixed-blood child would give off. The scent barely touched his nose, but he could tell it came from slightly away from the human village.

Calmly, he turned and headed in this new direction, intent on killing the child unworthy of breathing.

The smells became stronger and Sesshoumaru found himself quickening his step, but he tried to stay it, willing his youki to be patient. His claws would taste hanyou blood before the sun towered above their heads.

That didn't give him much time, but he would succeed, no doubt about that.

A shrine came into view, hidden slightly by the surrounding trees. Laughter filled his ears and Sesshoumaru's glare intensified.

"Come here, Inutora!" A young female's voice rang in his ears, the sound of which was vaguely familiar. The noise of a young brat followed the voice, probably the one the girl was talking to. He followed the noises into the shrine and his eyes fell on that girl from the river.

Her hair was now braided back, but it was obviously still damp from her bath. That rich black hair framed a pale face adorned with a single lavender stripe running across each cheek. As he looked closer, he could see that her ears were pointed and her blue eyes were dancing with joy.

She looked over at him as she stood, pulling a small child into her arms protectively. "Sesshoumaru-sama." Her head nodded at him and the smile left her face, but not her eyes.

It almost bothered the youkai lord that she could look so cheerful and happy without any reason to. He nodded slightly back at her, acknowledging her presence.

"What brings Sesshoumaru-sama here?" She tilted her head to the side, shifting the weight of the child on her hip.

Sesshoumaru took in a deep breath, confirming the presence of the mongrel that dared to share his father's blood with him. "Business."

The young girl, Rayne was her name if he recalled, nodded at him slowly. It didn't appear that she understood fully what he was talking about. "But why at this particular shrine?"

"My disgraceful half-brother."

She stood quietly, staring at Sesshoumaru. There was no hiding the motion of her arms tightening on the child and the slight turn of her body to put her in between the youkai and the baby.

With a certain amount of surprise, Sesshoumaru saw the two black triangles of fur sitting on top of the baby's head. They reminded him of a dog's ears and of his half-brother.

"What does Sesshoumaru-sama want with Inuyasha?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly. "So that's his name." Sesshoumaru had heard Inuyasha's name before, but that didn't mean he had chosen to remember it. After all, what was the point?

Rayne's eyes hardened and narrowed, making her look a little more menacing. "Inuyasha is Rayne's charge. So long as that is true, Sesshoumaru-sama will leave him alone." As the wind shifted direction, Sesshoumaru picked up Rayne's scent. She was a dog demon. A _full_ dog demon.

So why was she defending a hanyou? Sesshoumaru was more than just a little confused. He narrowed his eyes at the other demon. "I will do as I like, woman."

The look on the young youkai's face made him think twice. She seemed to cut him up just by looking at him.

Sesshoumaru growled and raised his right arm, focusing his youki on his hand to prepare for an attack. Rayne's eyes narrowed at him and she set the pup down commanding it quietly to take cover.

It was not his style to delay, and so Sesshoumaru charged the young dog-demon with fingers dripping poison. The girl had barely stood up when the attack came and she barely managed to tumble out of the way.

He listened to her indignant yap as she rolled back to her feet. His only response was a bark of dominance. This made the female youkai slip into a fighting stance and growl in challenge.

Rayne charged him, not waiting for him to take the offensive again. Her fingers glowed blue before a whip formed and was swung before her and at her opponent.

Sesshoumaru jumped into the air to avoid the whip and dove back down on the she-demon. His attack struck and a painful whine filled his ears just before sharp teeth bit down on his jugular. If it weren't for the fight, Sesshoumaru might believe that this child was attempting to mark him as her mate.

He jumped away, feeling his flesh tearing out of her strong jaw. Although painful, Sesshoumaru kept his expression stoic and moved in for another attack on the wounded girl.

She didn't move as she clutched her clawed shoulder and chest with a whine. Just as he was about to claw her again, Rayne jerked out her arm and dug her claws through Sesshoumaru's armor, the blue poison of her youki melting the outfit, and let her hand sink into the demon lord's chest.

Unbidden, blood escaped Sesshoumaru's mouth before he jumped away and crouched before her, preparing for another attack. Ignoring the flesh melting away on his torso, Sesshoumaru dove at the raven-haired girl, swiping his claws at her legs before rolling to a fighting stance.

The blow hadn't been dodged fast enough and her kimono hung torn on her legs, blood pooling around her feet. In all honesty, he was surprised she was still standing after that blow.

As he was pondering this fact, he failed to notice Rayne's quick approach until her clawed hands were cutting off his air supply and her poison was melting the soft skin of his neck.

"Leave, Sesshoumaru-sama, or Rayne is going to have to end your existence." She used her strength and tossed him fifty feet away, quickly dropping to her knees in exhaustion.

Because of youkai tradition, Sesshoumaru was forced to leave the fight for another day; until then she was to be considered alpha of the two.

As he stood and began walking away from the human shrine that reeked of half-demons, he heard the little baby that had been hiding in the bushes coo.

"Fluffy!" His eyes narrowed but he didn't turn around. That foolish infant was making fun of him.

A tired and pained sigh made his ear twitch slightly, listening more intently. "Sesshoumaru-sama is fluffy, ne Inutora?" And now that annoying child was encouraging the brat.

As a young lord he could not tolerate such indolence, but for now they would live. They would learn at some future time why not to deface the Lord of the Western Lands.

Once Sesshoumaru was a good distance from the shrine, he stopped. He left the fight because of youkai tradition; but proving to be alpha was something only respected within packs or between mates. That child fit in neither category, so why had he felt so obligated to adhere to that tradition?

**

* * *

**

Spring had long past and gave way to summer. Wildflowers blanketed meadows and other small clearings with brilliant colors and shapes. The rivers had warmed and days were drawn out considerably more than before.

Sesshoumaru found himself stuck wandering around the vicinity of the village where the female youkai hung around, though he wasn't sure why.

He was currently found sitting lazily in a tree overlooking the river, one leg dangling off of the branch he resided on. Below him, he watched the strong current force rocks to slowly roll along the river bed and driftwood zip past no matter the size.

Laughter filled his sensitive ears and he immediately recognized the voices. This was a daily ritual for the she-demon, after all. Rayne and two hanyous would come to the river to bathe or wash clothes or collect water or something nearly everyday of the week.

Sesshoumaru had unknowingly found himself waiting by this particular spot on the river for her arrival, waiting for his next opportunity to challenge her as he had several times over the last few months.

Rayne carried the little girl on her shoulders while keeping an eye on Sesshoumaru's disgraceful half-brother, who stubbornly trailed behind at a distance that suggested that he didn't want to be associated with the other two.

Her smile seemed to brighten the sun as she stepped out of the shelter of the trees and allowed the rays of light to illuminate her hair. She was so happy and peaceful, lifting the little girl off her shoulders and letting her play in the sand on the small bank.

A knowing glance was cast at the young lord and he found himself looking away with his chest pounding.

His gaze fell back down to Rayne, who was washing clothes today. Inuyasha had already left for who knows where, and so all that were left by the riverside were Rayne and the brat.

"Sesshoumaru-sama can come down."

It scared him slightly to suddenly have her talk to him without warning though he didn't show it. She usually acted like he wasn't there, though they both knew that wasn't true.

Their only interaction thus far was when he challenged her about once a week for the right of dominance and to kill the half ling that shared his father's blood.

"Inutora won't bite Sesshoumaru-sama. And Rayne won't either…too hard at least." Rayne smiled at him, her white teeth gleaming in the morning light and her missing fang painfully obvious. It would grow back, but it had been knocked out yesterday in their most recent fight.

Sesshoumaru reluctantly left his perch in the tree, but stayed on his side of the river: the opposite side from Rayne and her brat. He was still nursing wounds from that most recent encounter, even if he wouldn't say so out loud. Based on Rayne's black eye and cut lip, he would guess that she was sharing in his predicament more than she let on.

"What do you want?" He looked at her coldly, as if realizing for the first time that she did have a child and feeling the painful burning in his heart. Why he hadn't thought about it before was beyond him.

"Has Sesshoumaru-sama ever even tried talking to Inuyasha?" Rayne looked softly at him, the maturity in her eyes shining through quite obviously. Sesshoumaru remembered yesterday, how frustrated Rayne had seemed when they were fighting, and he figured that it had something to do with the nonsense that she was spouting now.

"What does it matter?" Sesshoumaru continued to stand regally as Rayne diligently washed the clothes she had brought to the river. At least she wasn't attacking yet; he didn't really feel like fighting around a river with a current this strong.

Her eyes were off of him and were instead on the brat. The kid was getting too close to the river.

Without much warning the toddler slipped in. Within seconds both Sesshoumaru and Rayne dived in after her. The inu tai youkai caught hold of the baby first, pulling her out of the water and into his strong arms. He stood up against the current; the water coming to just below mid chest.

A tug at his left arm threw him off balance for a brief second, but he quickly caught himself before he fell. Looking down he found Rayne holding tightly to his arm, her feet unable to get proper footing and the current pulling her light body downstream.

She smiled faintly at him, as if silently apologizing for the trouble she was causing him. The river was attempting to push the young lord off of his feet, but he wouldn't be outdone by water.

Sesshoumaru didn't say anything as he trudged back upstream and towards the bank where Rayne had been doing laundry. As soon as he stepped onto the shore Rayne was able to put her feet underneath herself and take the hanyou from Sesshoumaru.

"Funny how Sesshoumaru-sama hates Inuyasha and yet will save Inutora." Her smile didn't register, but her words slowly sunk in.

Stepping out of the river, Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth as he felt the cuts on his stomach partially reopening. "Excuse me?" He wasn't sure he had heard Rayne correctly, being distracted by his wounds.

"Inutora, Sesshoumaru-sama's little sister." She lifted the baby's head slightly, and Sesshoumaru watched as the kid tried to tuck herself closer to Rayne.

"I don't have a little sister." The demon lord was sure of his words. If his father had had another child, he would surely have been told about it.

"What is Sesshoumaru-sama talking about? Inutora's right here. Inutora's mother died giving birth to Inutora." Rayne suddenly got a faraway look in her eyes, the sadness in them suffocating.

He had heard that his father's human mate had died, but no one had bothered to tell him how. The anger building up inside him nearly surfaced, but he suppressed it. Part of the anger was at himself for not smelling the familiarity of this little brat's blood.

"Inutora's such a sweetheart. When Inutora gets bigger Inutora'll be one of the most powerful creatures in existence." Rayne shook the little girl's hand with affection, the joy returning to her eyes. "Doesn't Sesshoumaru-sama think so?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at the brat that was the half-sibling he had not been informed about. His mouth stayed closed and the black-haired hanyou looked innocently at him, her round face plastered with a smile.

"Fluffy!" She reached out to him and tried to pull away from Rayne. The female inu youkai shoved the two-year-old hanyou into his reluctant arms and watched him hold up his little sister.

His expression relaxed a little and he stopped holding the baby at arm's length. The child then rested lightly in his arms and proceeded to run her tiny fingers through his boa.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is a big brother. Try and accept that." Rayne giggled at him and stood up straight, her head reaching no higher than his shoulder. She looked up at him with her large, blue eyes. It felt like she was looking into his soul.

"Half-brother. These tainted children aren't worthy to be related to I, Sesshoumaru."

Rayne laughed again, as if he had told her some funny joke. "Sesshoumaru can't change who his relatives are, silly! He doesn't pick his family, but Sesshoumaru does have to tolerate them!"

She had addressed him a lot less formally, but he found he didn't really mind all that much. Her smile made all thoughts of being angry flutter out the window.

"Fluffy!" He looked down again at the child in his arms. Those golden eyes seemed to run in the family. A trait they had all inherited from their father, the great Inu Taisho. She was biting her bottom lip and trying to tie a knot in the fur of his boa.

"How old is she?" Sesshoumaru was shocked at the gentleness in his own voice, not used to the sound of being kind coming from his own mouth.

"Almost three. Inutora, stop doing that, Fluffy-onii-chan doesn't need knots in his fur!" Rayne pulled the toddler's hands out of the soft fur and smiled at Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru turned a cold look to Rayne as she spoke that hideous nickname. "If Sesshoumaru wants, Sesshoumaru can stay here with Rayne while she finishes the laundry."

Sesshoumaru shrugged, setting down the little child. He wasn't sure if he wanted to stay or go, but his heart seemed set on staying. Even if they ended up battling it out despite their injuries, Sesshoumaru figured the momentary peace would be worth it.

**

* * *

**

_One year later…_

"Fluffy-chan?" Sesshoumaru looked at Rayne, having gotten used to being called by the nickname his baby-brat sister had given him. "Rayne doesn't think she'll be coming to the river anymore." She seemed a little down, and the demon lord wondered why that was.

"What are you talking about?" He looked at her nonchalantly, not giving any sign of the turmoil tearing apart his heart. Inutora wasn't in sight, despite the fact that she always came to the river with Rayne.

"Rayne was only here temporarily until the fighting stopped in the South. Rayne's father has sent for her." Rayne sighed and let her shoulders sag, apparently not too cheerful about having to leave.

"I don't understand." Sesshoumaru was trying to resist the urge to grab her and run off so she couldn't leave him. It was taking every fiber of his willpower to stay that temptation even though his face gave away nothing of the thoughts turning in his head.

"Rayne's father is Lord of the Southern Lands. They've been fighting an uprising by some coyote tribes and Rayne's father sent Rayne here for safekeeping. Everything's been taken care of and it's time for Rayne to go home." She let out another sigh before turning away from the river to head back up the path towards the shrine.

"Rayne, matte." Sesshoumaru took a step after her and grabbed her slender arm, turning her partially around. "Don't go." He wasn't sure what he was doing but the young demon wrapped his arms around the female youkai and pulled her to him. His head lowered in on swift motion and their lips made contact. Even though he was confused, this felt so right and natural.

After a few seconds he pulled up, not letting go of the teenage youkai in his arms. The realization struck his heart so suddenly he nearly collapsed: he was in love with Rayne.

She licked her lips; tears falling swiftly down her face. "Rayne has to, Fluffy-chan. Rayne has no choice." Her arms came up and wrapped around Sesshoumaru's neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Become my mate." The words escaped his mouth only moments after the thought had formed in his head. He had no hope of stopping them.

Rayne pulled away from him slightly and looked up at him with hope, her eyes glistening with more tears waiting to be shed. "Rayne is too young."

"Then I'll wait until you are of age." The dog demon no longer had control of his words. His heart was leading the way and he was just forced to follow along.

A smile was given to him before Rayne let go of his neck and stepped out of his embrace. "Come for Rayne in two years. Rayne will be old enough then." She turned on her heel and left without another word, her soft footsteps barely audible.

He followed after her quietly, not wanting to be noticed. She met up with a short green demon wearing black pants and haori.

The demon looked like some sort of frog from this angle, and when he heard the thing speak his nose scrunched with disgust. "Rayne-sama, whatever took you? We were supposed to be on the road at dawn."

The frog looked in the direction Rayne had just come from, and Sesshoumaru hid himself, not wanting to be caught spying on them.

"Do not speak so rudely to master's daughter, Jaken. Rayne told you that Rayne had business to take care of." Rayne stood tall and looked so formidable, like a true ruler. Sesshoumaru found his chest puffing with pride at his girl's ability to hold her own.

"What business would a child such as yourself have that is more important than returning home?" The toad called Jaken grumbled to himself, running along the path ahead of Rayne.

"And what authority does Jaken have over Rayne? Jaken thinks Rayne cares what his stupid 'schedule' is. Rayne is not so weak as to be pushed around by a pathetic excuse for a demon such as Jaken." Rayne walked quickly past Jaken and whistled, and the purpose of the noise was clarified by a loud flapping of a creature as it landed it the clearing.

Sesshoumaru watched from a safe distance as a white unicorn Pegasus jogged up to greet Rayne. The young girl stroked the animal's neck and then jumped on the back of the steed.

It looked as if that Jaken demon was going to climb onto the creature but it took off when he got too close to it. A smirk covered Sesshoumaru's face as he watched the toad run frantically after Rayne on foot.

He turned around when they were out of sight, disappointed with how short-lived her stay with him was. In two years he would be able to claim his mate.

It wasn't that long to wait. In the meantime, he figured it would be best to pay a visit to the Northern Lands. He had heard news a couple years ago that the lord up there had had a son. If he planned on keeping on good terms with the other regions, it was best to pay a friendly visit now and again.

**

* * *

**

_Six months later…_

Winds up north were cold and the weather was always dreary. For some unexplainable reason Sesshoumaru had decided to take Inutora with him and now he had her safely tucked into a bundle in his arms. It was freezing.

Maybe he had taken Inutora because her uncle was having troubles with the local villagers and Inuyasha had all but disappeared.

He knew the tiger demons' castle was somewhere nearby, but it would have been so much easier to find it if his nose weren't frozen solid. How the demons up here could stand it, he would never know. Year-round winter did not sound appeasing to the demon lord much more used to the more mild climates of his Western Lands.

Despite how he was feeling, Sesshoumaru kept his face passive, so no onlooker would think of him as weak. Sesshoumaru would not be thought of as weak.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Sesshoumaru turned at the voice of his father's close friend. It still baffled him how a tiger youkai and a dog youkai could be so close to one another.

"Hello, Doitashi-sama." Sesshoumaru tried to sound as normal as he could and keep from shivering. Doitashi wasn't the demon's true name, but it was what the demon lord liked to be called. His real name meant, "Nice to meet you" so Sesshoumaru really didn't blame him for preferring a nickname.

"Come with me and get warmed up."

Sesshoumaru gratefully followed the tiger youkai to the castle where fires were blazing and the doors kept the snow where it belonged: outside.

A young boy ran up to him, his white hair streaked with black. "I lost my first tooth today!" He was probably around five or six, and he seemed to be pretty excited about that lost tooth.

The bundle in Sesshoumaru's arms wiggled, realizing that they were now in a heated room. With a little unraveling, Sesshoumaru released the nearly five-year-old girl from her restraints and watched her tumble to the floor with a grunt.

With no more than a blink of the eyes, the boy redirected his glee at the little girl. "I lost a tooth!" His grin was a bit annoying, but so was his childish demeanor. Though Sesshoumaru really shouldn't blame him; he was, after all, still a child.

"So what have you been up to, Sesshoumaru-sama?" He looked up at the Lord of the Northern Lands. Those piercing green eyes bore into him and made him think of Rayne for unknown reasons.

"I found a mate." Sesshoumaru just looked back uncaringly, taking on his usual demeanor and silently thanking that he no longer had to worry about his blood turning to ice.

The lord's wife, Tomadachi, came into the room, her red hair flowing down in waves to her waist. "A mate? That's wonderful! Who is the lucky girl?"

"Rayne of the Southern Lands." Sesshoumaru remained expressionless as he watched the two demons' smiles fade and then look at each other strangely.

"You mean Rayne-hime, the daughter of Venhart-sama?" Doitashi looked back at Sesshoumaru with a worried look.

"Yes, that Rayne."

Doitashi's mate shook her head sadly. "That man has problems. I had heard that Rayne-hime ran away after he had beaten her and her elder sister."

The male tiger demon nodded his head. "We were sent an announcement nearly four years ago that Stoarm-hime, her older sister had died the day before she was to be mated. It was said to be suicide, but why would a girl kill herself just before being mated?"

"You must be careful, Sesshoumaru-sama. You know how strong Venhart-sama is." Tomadachi lowered her eyes to the floor, Doitashi's arm wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him.

Sesshoumaru listened to them, feeling the hate and vengeance build in his bones. His eyes flashed red before he looked at the tiger youkai lord and his young wife. "Take care of my sister. I'm going to pay a visit to Venhart."

Before Doitashi could stop him Sesshoumaru had bolted out of the room and out of the castle, running south. He no longer paid attention to the biting cold and harsh winds. His heart was pounding in his chest out of fear.

How could he have not seen it? Why didn't he smell the lie when she had confronted him? Why did she feel the need TO lie to him?

Questions raced through his head as he made his way as quickly as he could towards the Southern Lands, towards Venhart, and to his future mate. As much as he didn't want to admit it he was scared. If anything happened to Rayne, he didn't know what he would do.

* * *

The adrenaline still pumped through his veins and his pace had only sped up as the surrounding climate warmed. Sesshoumaru was getting close.

Irony struck him when he realized that this was pretty much what his own father did soon before he died. That had only been a few years ago. Was Sesshoumaru destined to meet the same end?

Trees on either side of him were mere blurs of color that the demon lord paid no heed to. He would not be stopped until he had his Rayne safely in his arms.

A castle came into view ahead and Sesshoumaru let his legs carry him faster than ever before in hopes of reaching his destination sooner. It took only a matter of seconds before he was at the base of the fortress and even then he didn't pause.

Crouching down, he leapt up to charge onto one of the many balconies several stories above the ground. He sniffed, picking up any trace of where his Rayne was.

At first he didn't smell her, which shot a wave a panic through his body. But after leaving that room and rushing out into the hall he caught a whiff of her gentle scent coming from down the hall.

The hall dead-ended at a staircase, and it took him a moment to decided whether to go up or down. Finally he decided the scent was stronger the closer to the floor he got so he ran down the twisting flight of steps.

After weaving through hallway after endless hallway, and going down what seemed like a mountain of stairs, Sesshoumaru reached a cold, dark room that smelt musty. But through the smell of rotting wood he picked up that of his one true love and future mate.

"Rayne!" He was surprised at his own voice. Her name had come out as more of a strangled cry.

"Se…shou…ma…ru?" Through the darkness came a soft, pitiful sounding voice, but even as weak as it was, he would recognize it anywhere or anytime.

Using his sense of smell, he ran to Rayne and knelt down by her side. Through the darkness he was beginning to be able to make out her form as his eyes adjusted to the lighting; or lack thereof. "I'm here, Rayne. I've come for you."

Rayne let out a whine; most likely her attempt at a laugh. "Rayne-"

"Don't talk, save your energy." Sesshoumaru could smell the foul stench of dried blood. Rayne must have been caked in it given how strong the scent was.

What had her father done to her? He lifted her fragile form into his arms and held her close to his heart. She was even smaller than he remembered and he could very clearly feel her protruding bones through a worn kimono.

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru tried to imagine her wearing a wedding kimono, standing in front of Doitashi, her bright smile lighting up the room.

Opening his eyes again, Sesshoumaru looked determinedly at the stairs leading to the outside world.

He stood up, holding Rayne as gently as he could with his left arm. She was small enough, so it wasn't too hard.

Anger flowed through his veins, fluidly circulating his entire body right along side his blood. Heads were going to roll.

But before that would happen, he had to get Rayne someplace safe. In the blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru halfway retraced his steps, sometimes creating new doorways to quicken his escape to the outside world.

Surprised demons leapt up from chairs and beds, trying to reach the love-struck demon, but their blows didn't even graze his trailing fur. He was running far too fast for them to even hope to touch.

Dropping Rayne off in a meadow several miles from the castle, Sesshoumaru turned and looked at the foreboding domain of the Lord of the Southern Lands. His pause to breath was only for a moment before he charged the silent structure. The expression on his face was blank; only his eyes gave way to the anger that he felt.

A whip formed at the tips of his fingers and he tore up the side of the old structure before disposing of all of the occupants of the forsaken place. Not one of these demons would live for letting his Rayne suffer.

In a matter of minutes, only the shattered remains of the castle stood. Flames were beginning to poke through the rocks, fueled by the wood that was once holding the fortress together and probably started by torches once blazing in the dreary corridors.

Sesshoumaru hadn't even broken a sweat, the vengeance in his heart still not satisfied.

"Who are you to destroy my humble house?"

The young youkai slowly turned his head and locked gazes with a raven-haired inu demon. His armor signified that he was of high class, most likely Venhart.

Sesshoumaru cracked the knuckles in his fingers. "I'll kill you."

"No, I know who you are. You're the demon that touched my brat. I recognize your scent. Had to punish her for that, you know. I don't much like having to punish stupid brats like her."

He was sick of hearing Venhart's voice. Lunging forward and attacking with claws poised for a fatal blow was really the only way Sesshoumaru could think of to shut the insolent man up.

Venhart ducked out of the way and drew his sword, preparing to fight with the angered Lord of the West. Sesshoumaru whipped around again, his hand glowing with a poisonous green aura.

The two youkai charged each other, attacking with all of their might.

"Once I defeat you, the Western Lands will be mine for the taking!" Venhart swung his sword around, the sun glinting off of the sharp blade. Sesshoumaru jumped up to avoid the swing, not one to be brought down by a thousand-year-old youkai.

After a year of fighting Rayne, Venhart's movements and attacks seemed slow and weak.

It barely phased the young lord that Venhart knew of his position. It only angered him more because of Venhart's selfish control over Rayne that he wouldn't even let her mate with another lord of Venhart's same standing.

Sesshoumaru brought out his whip, sending it to snap across Venhart's chest. The inu tai youkai barely flinched from the impact, but his armor was shredded. Venhart then pulled out a trick of his own, sending blades of youki at Sesshoumaru.

Unable to avoid all of the youki, Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth tightly and took the blows from a few of the wildly flying blades. One of which slid past his face, cutting his cheek and a few of his hairs.

It was unacceptable to allow this fight to go on any longer, and so Sesshoumaru transformed into his true youkai form. His purple and red eyes glared down at Venhart as he lunged in for the final blow.

Venhart didn't even have time to dodge when Sesshoumaru came flying at him. Teeth made contact with neck and blood flew. The poison in Sesshoumaru's mouth melted Venhart's throat and Sesshoumaru's vicious thought when he had first located Rayne came true: a head did role.

**

* * *

**

Sesshoumaru looked up at the sky, eyeing the clouds blanketing the starry night. He didn't feel any sense of accomplishment as he walked to the place where he had left his beloved.

With a hard stare, he looked down at the frail girl. Since the last time he had seen her half a year ago she had lost at least thirty pounds and she was covered in dirt from head to toe. The wounds he could see covering her arms and face were only skin deep, but the young lord could smell that there was more ailing her than what was visible.

He picked her up gently and cradled her there on the ground. "I failed you, Rayne. I must apologize." She stirred slightly in his arms and opened her eyes to look at him with bright blue irises.

"Don't say that." Rayne's voice was scratchy and weak; her eyes holding half of the luster they did once.

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes looked down at her, his voice lost to the misery of his heart. He took a deep breath through his nose, smelling her blood as well as fifty more demons'. Behind him burned the once formidable castle of the Lord of the South. The air reeked of the ashes, mixing in with the death-filled scent of everyone's blood.

"In the castle…Rayne's room…there's a staff…with two heads…" Rayne coughed painfully, her entire body convulsing with the flexing of her diaphragm. Blood had escaped through her mouth and her hand that had come up to block the cough was now covered in a bloody sort of flam.

He nodded, not taking his eyes off of Rayne. He heard someone approaching from behind, but he didn't really care. By the scent he could tell it was that frog-like demon that had taken Rayne away from him in the first place.

A weak smile came to her lips. "Rayne is dying, Fluffy-chan." There were tears starting to form in her eyes. "Rayne wanted to be with Sesshoumaru always. To be by your side."

"Stop talking. You need to save your strength." Sesshoumaru forced the emotion from his face, not wanting anyone to see him in his weakness.

"Even though Rayne's not of age yet, please let Rayne be your mate. If only for a few minutes." A tear rolled down her cheek, mixing with the dirt and blood caked on it.

"Rayne-sama! You mustn't! He killed my lord Venhart-sama!" Sesshoumaru felt like growling at the green toad that had spoken. That thing needed to learn its place and butt out.

The young lord pulled Rayne close to him, disregarding the shriveled youkai servant, and nuzzling his head in the crook of her neck. He hesitated in his mind. Rayne could still pull through, couldn't she? What if marking her just signed her death sentence?

"Please, let Rayne be yours." Her heart was beating weakly and slowly. Sesshoumaru couldn't fool himself. She would not live to see dawn no matter what he did.

He opened his mouth and allowed his fangs to make contact with the covering of her neck. Gently, so as not to hurt her, he closed his jaw slightly and allowed his sharp teeth to puncture her perfect skin. The gasp of pain that escaped her lips made him wince slightly but he didn't pull back.

Her blood seeped into his mouth and he licked the wound to cleanse and seal it. Sesshoumaru then lifted his head looking into the eyes of his beloved Rayne.

She must have gathered the last of her strength as she pulled herself up in his lap and leaned forward so that her head was on his shoulder. Holding her carefully, Sesshoumaru listened to her as she leaned closer to his neck until he could feel her breath running across his skin.

He felt her small fangs sink weakly into the skin at the crook of his neck and felt his heart pump harder to try and make up for the blood escaping from his body. Rayne's tongue weakly dragged across the fresh bite, and she quickly slumped into his arms.

She was unconscious.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and listened to Rayne's slow heartbeat and weak breathing. So long as she was breathing, everything would be all right. Rayne just needed to hold on a little longer and let their shared youki heal her body.

The toad spoke again, "This is preposterous. Rayne-sama doesn't know what she's doing! You're taking advantage of her!"

Sesshoumaru growled at the short demon and gave him a cold stare. He wanted to be alone with Rayne.

She had said something about a two-headed staff, hadn't she? "Jaken." He didn't wait for the toad to respond. "Go retrieve the two-headed staff from my mate's old room."

The small youkai swallowed. "Y-yes, my lord." Sesshoumaru listened to the annoying servant leave before turning his attention back to Rayne.

Losing his Rayne was not an option. She would live. They would grow old together, raise all of their brats, and die after a long and happy life. Rayne would not die now; she couldn't.

Hours passed and dawn was approaching. There was a golden tinge on the east horizon, promising a new day shortly. Rayne was still breathing weakly, but at least she was breathing.

He nearly panicked when her breath caught in her throat just as she was coming back to consciousness. Her eyes opened slowly and obviously painfully.

She looked up at the silver-haired youkai, his golden eyes locking onto her blue ones. A smile somehow found its way onto her face as she continued looking at him. "My…Sesshoumaru…"

A lump formed in his throat as she spoke for the first time in first person and he knew he wouldn't be able to speak without his voice wavering. He just nodded at her numbly, watching the horizon out of the corner of his eye.

"Take Jaken…let him serve you…he'll carry Rayne's staff…with that Rayne'll always be with you…I love you." Rayne's eyes closed slowly being too weak to stay open. Her hand rose up and cupped his chin even though she could no longer see him. "Don't follow Rayne so quickly this time…"

The smile was still formed on her lips, the gentleness in it making the lump in his throat enlarge.

"Rayne wants you to live life for the both of us…my Sesshoumaru." Her hand fell limply to the ground as the breath left her for good. He could no longer hear her weak heart beating to keep him comforted.

Unbidden, the tears came.

He pulled the shell of his love closer to him, clutching it for a lifeline. A howl escaped from his mouth, echoing off of the nearby mountains.

A memory popped into his grief-stricken mind. It was his father, the night that he had sealed his eminent death. The full moon had stood behind him as father and son talked by the lonely ocean. Sesshoumaru had demanded Tetsusaiga and Soru'unga from his father but he had been denied.

He had been asked if he had something to protect then. At the time he had answered that he only wanted the swords for conquest and his father must have thought him the fool. How naïve he had been.

"Look at me now, father. I guess I truly am a fool." Sesshoumaru looked down at his dead mate in his arms. "CAN YOU SEE?" He yelled up to the sky, uncaring of who would hear him. Already his cheeks were soaked with salty water from his eyes and his love was dead in his arms. It didn't matter anymore.

"I HAVE SOMETHING TO PROTECT!" Sesshoumaru gently laid Rayne's body down on the grass and stood up, looking at the sky that was quickly getting lighter as day broke.

"Sesshoumaru, do not act like such a fool."

The young inu tai youkai snapped his head down to looked at a figure silhouetted by the rising sun. Two furry tails whipped behind the man in the wind and his large armor made his shoulders look twice as brood as they should have been.

"You learn too late, and yet soon enough, Sesshoumaru." The man's deep voice carried to Sesshoumaru, and the powerful youki nearly overwhelmed him. "Take your inheritance, for it will be useful to you. It is called Tensaiga."

A sheathed sword flew through the air and Sesshoumaru caught it out of reflex, still staring at the youkai before him. "Father?"

The youkai laughed. "Who else? Learn. Fight. Teach. That is what you need to do. Love is not hard; you already know that. It's keeping your love that is hard. But that is why we are here."

Sesshoumaru found himself staring into the sun, his father gone without a trace. At first he thought he was hallucinating but then he realized that he was still holding the sword.

He set it on the ground and dug a hole in the ground with his whip. With great care he picked up Rayne's body and placed her in the hole. After she was in it he replaced the dirt on top of her and stuck a severed branch at the head of her grave. Sesshoumaru cut off a section of his hair and tied it around the branch and left.

The sword was picked up on his way out of the forsaken meadow where he lost his one and only love.

Looking down at the sword coldly, Sesshoumaru tied it to his sash. "Tensaiga, ne? Let's see what you can do."

Cold-Hearted Killer  
Son of an Inu Taishou  
Lord of the West  
I, Sesshoumaru  
Mate of Rayne

**I  
Do  
Not  
Sleep **

**Inutori:** Hello, peoples! I finally finished this one-shot! I'm so happy! I didn't put an a/n at the beginning of the story so I wouldn't give anything away. But I don't own Inuyasha, so don't even think it!  
**Sesshoumaru:** And I own Rayne. You killed her. Die. (attacks Inutori)  
**Inutori:** (shrieks) I had to. This story is not to conflict with the actual Inuyasha story line. I'm trying to do the same with Another DogDemon too. They're my non-AU's!  
**Sesshoumaru:** I don't care. You killed Rayne; now you'll get the same fate.  
**Inutori:** SAVE ME (coughs) Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed it, now I'd appreciate it if you reviewed it. Ja ne!


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